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Text of Pride and Prejudice – 200th Anniversary personal challenge

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

I woke up this morning and remembered a dream I had – for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, I was typing the entire text.  Since many of my ideas for my stories also come from dreams, I decided that”s just what I’m going to do!

Check out the new page on my website.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Since I’m afraid it might disappear if I type it here, I’ll be typing in Word and pasting it from time to time.  I certainly hope it all fits!

~~~~~

I was going to simply read Pride and Prejudice as part of

The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013

at Austenprose.com

but this is one step better!

Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

Have you ever become so involved with a story that you didn’t even want to stop reading long enough to eat or sleep?  Yep, that’s what happened while I was reading Jessica Grey’s new release:

Attempting Elizabeth

Janeites everywhere will love this story! It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this hard or this often while reading a book. The characters were alive, and I couldn’t help but connect with Kelsey on so many levels.

I had written up a description for Attempting Elizabeth, and even chose a couple of quotes that I absolutely loved, but I decided not to use them when I realized they gave away too much of the plot. The official description tells the perfect amount:

“Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.

One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.

After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?

As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.”

I was left with one question at the end, but I was able to answer it myself by opening my copy of Pride and Prejudice. I’m relieved to declare that all is still as it should be!

I’m sure I’ll be reading this again soon!

~

I’m counting this book toward the Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge (austenprose.com)

A Garden Folly (A Regency Romance) by Candice Hern

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

Writer’s block has me reading at light speed!

Next up for review is another for the Regency Romance Reading Challenge (Austenprose.com.) I read a sample chapter of the following at the end of Desperate Measures, and I couldn’t resist adding it to my list:

A Garden Folly (A Regency Romance) by Candice Hern

Catherine Forsythe lives with her sister and sweet aunt. Penniless, the ladies depend on the kindheartedness and, erhm, resourcefulness of their manservant, MacDougal. Having already sold most of their belongings to put food on the table, they are never sure whether they’ll be able to continue doing so.

All are thrilled when Aunt Hetty’s old friend, the Duchess of Carlisle, invites them to her annual summer house party at her estate in the country. Always the most sensible of the three, Catherine sees the invitation as the chance of a lifetime—surely either her beautiful sister or she will find a rich husband and save them from living in poverty!

Stephen, the eccentric Duke of Carlisle, is unhappy about his mother’s plans to hold her house party this year. Although he usually left Chissingworth during her August gathering, this year he could not accept an interruption to his project – the addition of a glass conservatory to the estate, where he does much of the work personally. Stephen insists that his mother tell her guests that he is not in residence so that he will be spared the need to socialize and can continue his work.

When Stephen literally runs into Catherine while she admires his plantings, he finds there is indeed one guest he’d actually enjoy spending time with, especially since she does not recognize him as the duke and assumes he is the estate’s gardener instead. In order to continue hiding from the other guests, he uses his first two names when introducing himself, leaving off the rest which would identify him as the duke—and the charade begins!

A Garden Folly is an engaging and amusing tale of mistaken identity and romance that I highly recommend to all! I’m very glad I decided to add this to my list.

Desperate Measures (A Regency Short Story)

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

My first read for the Regency Romance Reading Challenge (Austenprose.com), my choice is:

Desperate Measures (A Regency Short Story) by Candice Hern

Lydia Bettridge is in love, but the gentleman couldn’t possibly think of her that way. Lydia, her brother, and his friend come up with a plan to catch the unnamed gentleman’s attention. When the scheme goes awry, will she still be able to cause her heart’s desire to become jealous, or will she fail, leaving her miserable for all time?

If I had to choose one word to describe this short story, it would have to be “delicious.”  If you enjoy unrequited love stories, this short story is one you should not miss!

Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

Since I’m suffering from writer’s block, I might as well take advantage of the time “off” and get started on the challenges I’ve signed up for this year.

First up in the Pride and Prejudice Bicententary Challenge is

Marilyn Brant’s new release, Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match

The premise of Dr. Will Darcy and single mom Beth Bennet meeting through “Lady Catherine’s Love Match Website” sounded interesting, so I grabbed it. Once I started reading it, only sheer exhaustion forced me to put it down, to be taken up the following day as soon as I was able, and reading straight through to the end.

Both Will and Beth have their motives for signing up for online dating, and “looking for love” is not among them. Beth, a sociology student, fakes her profile as research for her final paper. Will is more honest with his answers, but it is in response to a bet he can’t refuse – what he’ll win will help make a lot of people’s lives so much better.

After corresponding through email for a while, they meet. Attraction grows into something much more, but to take their relationship to a more serious level, they’ll have to confess their deceptions. Will either be able to trust the other once the truth is out? Can Will get past his prejudices and accept who Beth really is?

Although this story didn’t hit all the marks one expects from a Pride & Prejudice modernization, I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this sweet, romantic tale.

The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013

Posted on by Wendi Sotis
hosted by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.com

2013 is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and I’m joining the celebration at Austenprose.com.

Between January 1, through December 31, 2013, participants can read, listen to, or watch movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s novel, or choose from the multitude of variations, sequels, and re-tellings.

Really, this should be a breeze for fans of Pride and Prejudice, but since I’ve never participated in a reading challenge before this year, I’m going to start off slowly, choosing a participation level of Neophyte: 1 – 4 selections.

If you’d like to participate, head on over to Austenprose.com to sign up before  July 1, 2013.

Decisions, Decisions!

There are so many, I’m having a little trouble figuring out just which novels, movies, or audio books to use for the challenge!

  1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – not only am I reading it, but I’m typing the whole thing out on my website! Update: I’ve had a shoulder injury and can’t type for very long, so this is on hold. (I haven’t checked for typos yet, but I will eventually.) I have to save my typing time for my new story 😉
  2. Pride, Prejudice, and the Perfect Match by Marilyn Brant – Review 1/19/13
  3. Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey – Review 1/26/13
  4. Loving Miss Darcy by Nancy Kelley – Review 2/2/13
  5. One Thread Pulled by Diana J. Oaks – Review 2/17/13
  6. The Man Who Loved Jane Austen – Review 4/26/13
  7. Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen – Review 4/30/13
  8. I’ll be watching as many movie versions as I can lay my hands on.

I’ll update my list to include more as I read them.

Regency Romance Reading Challenge 2013

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

I accept the challenge. Join me!

Since this is my first reading challenge, I’m not going to promise too much.  I’m entering at the Disciple level, which means I will read 3 – 5 novels & short stories by Candice Hern.

I will probably end up reading more, but at the very least, I plan on reading:

  1. Desperate Measures (A Regency Short Story) – Review 1/20/13
  2. A Garden Folly (A Regency Romance) – Review 1/22/13
  3. The Best Intentions (A Regency Romance) – Review 2/23/13
  4. A Proper Companion (A Regency Romance) – Review 3/2/13
  5. A Change of Heart (A Regency Romance) – Review 4/20/13

PROMISES is FREE on Smashwords through Dec.26th!

Posted on by Wendi Sotis
My book PROMISES is FREE on Smashwords
(coupon code GT86E)
through December 26, 2012! 
Adopting characters from Jane Austen’s much loved tale, this novel takes Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy on a much different journey than Pride and Prejudice.

Through their fathers’ friendship, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy meet as children. Over the years, their feelings for each other grow and they promise themselves to each other, but unfortunate circumstances and interfering family members seek to keep them apart.

Will misunderstandings and mistaken impressions divide Elizabeth and William forever?

Customers enter the code prior to completing their checkout.
Coupon Code: GT86E
Expires: December 26, 2013
Permission to forward granted.

Sneak Peek posted – Chapter 1 my NaNoWriMo story

Posted on by Wendi Sotis

The Gipsy Blessing: Regency

Blurb: While taking a solitary ramble on her father’s estate, Elizabeth Bennet finds an injured woman, cares for her, and helps her return to her gipsy camp. Impressed that a gentlewoman would come to his wife’s aid, the king of the gipsies promises that she will find happiness through his wife’s special blessing. Forgetting the incident, she thinks it merely odd when she begins to receive drawings in the mail with no return address—until Elizabeth begins to recognize the scenes depicted in the sketches as they become true events in her life.
http://www.beyondausten.com/index.php?/topic/495-the-gipsy-blessing-regency/